Catherine Mattice's Blog, page 43

How to Respect Workplace Diversity

Workplace diversity entails more than simply race and gender. Today’s office environment includes people from different ethnicity, age, education, and even income level. The importance of having mutual respect in the workplace not only helps foster a positive work environment, but also brings the melting pot of employees together. However, when diversity is poorly managed, it can lead to resentment among employees.

Benefits of Workplace Diversity

Each employee has his or her life experiences they bring to work everyday. These different points of view can be beneficial to your organization. Different approaches often mean more creative ideas and ways to work around any adversity the company faces.

Encourage Ideas

Respect is important when it comes to sharing ideas. Without mutual respect in the workplace, some employees might not share ideas because of the fear of being ridiculed. When your co-workers feel respected, they will be more receptive to share ideas with you on future projects.

Foster Teamwork

Teams are successful when all team members feel valued. Bringing together a group of employees and teaching them to respect workplace diversity can equip the whole team to quickly deal with adversity. When group members are able to respect one another for their beliefs and differences, the organization will be more productive.

Reduce Conflict

Conflicts slow down the productivity of employees since it prevents them from working together. It creates resentment and can lower the morale of the employees. Having respect for workplace diversity is critical. When both parties have respect for one another, it can be easier to resolve conflict because they won’t feel discriminated against when they don’t get what they want.

Are workplaces really becoming more disrespectful? How else can you establish a respectful working environment?

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5 Tips to Managing Workplace Conflict

Your office is naturally a stressful environment. A workplace conflict between co-workers can arise from stress.  Managing workplace conflict can sometimes be difficult. By understanding the problems and taking positive actions, you can help make your office into a place where you want to be.

1. Have an Open Mind

Different people see things differently and require multiple points of views in order to find common ground. Try to understand the different perspectives that each person is coming from. Everyone should have a chance to speak and clarify their position and opinion on the issue. It might be helpful to apply a time limit to prevent tangential clutter.

2. Be Respectful

The workplace can be a very diverse atmosphere. This means that what is acceptable to one person may be offensive to another person. Aim to use a business-like language and speak professionally. Don’t let your emotions do the talking.

3. Don’t Personalize Disagreements

Don’t take it personally. Seriously, don’t. It is most likely that your co-workers simply have a different perspective on the project. It is not a negative assessment of you as a person. Be open to constructive criticism and don’t take it as a personal attack.

4. Ask for Help

If the conflict continues to build, ask someone you respect to act as the mediator. This person could be your manager or a human resource professional.

5. Expect Conflicts

In a perfect world, there would be no conflicts at the workplace. Unfortunately, it’s not possible to avoid conflict. No matter where you work, you need to learn to expect conflict as part of your work life. The critical thing to gain from all this is that you deal with all conflicts in a productive way.

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Government Shutdown Hits The Labor Department Workplace Safety

The government shutdown will halt the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) discrimination claims. This article on the Huffington Post has important information regarding the filing of discrimination claims with the EEOC.

How will this threaten the Occupation Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)?

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Thinking Positively: 5 Powerful Steps

A change in thought can lead to a change in life. It’s not always easy to appreciate gratitude towards everything and everyone around us. Thinking positively helps you see the glass as half full rather than half empty.

I would like to present you with 5 powerful steps you can take to living a healthier, positive life. Hopefully after following these steps, you will realize it is easier to be positive than to be negative.

1. Don’t Believe Everything You Think

The problems we have aren’t as great as our mind tells us they are. Observe your thoughts, but don’t identify yourself with them. Negative thinking tricks us into believing that bad things will always be there.

“I’ll never get another job!”
“I know something will go wrong.”
“Nothing ever seems to be working out for me.”

If you realize your thinking biases, you will be able to make an effort to remember that bad events can pass and good ones can come.

2. Stop Playing the Blame Game

It’s easy to fall into the trap of internalizing your misfortunes and externalizing your blessings. “I always ruin everything, but when something good happens, it’s only because I got lucky that time.” This mentality is a recipe for disaster because you will never be able to accept credit when things go well.

3. Smile

Sometime, that is all it takes. Bring yourself in front of a mirror and smile if you have to. It does help to change the mood and relieves stress. You might even feel lighter since it takes fewer muscles to smile than to frown.

4. Be Kind

Get into a habit of being kind and forgiving. You will eventually learn to extend the same courtesy to yourself. It’s a lot easier to forgive yourself for mistakes and ultimately cultivate a positive outlook for your future.

5. Set Realistic Goals

Make sure that what you want is realistically possible. Setting high standards will only bring you disappointment. One example might be that you want to lose weight. Set appropriate measurements within a period of time and realistically measure your goals. No one will get slim overnight.

At the end of the day, there is no need to carry any negativity over to the next day. A new day unfolds as new opportunities come. Always keep believing and move forward.

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How to Deal with an Angry Boss: 5 Simple Tips

Everyone knows that an angry boss looks unprofessional. Unfortunately, your boss is still your boss. Creating a good relation with your boss is important. Your boss has the upper hand and can probably find a way to get you fired. With all that said, here are five tips to deal with an angry boss.

1. Listen. Listening is hard, especially when your boss is yelling at you with the disapproving look. Most employees are tempted to retaliate and defend themselves, but a wiser choice would be to listen. Let your boss vent out some of that anger.

2. Acknowledge. Let your boss know that you know he or she is angry. Describe their body language to your boss, such as clenched fist or a red face. This should alert your boss that he or she is acting unprofessional.

3. Repeat. Tell your boss what he or she told you, showing that you were listening. Reiterate the main concerns without repeating negative words that your boss used.

4. Apologize. If you did something wrong, own up to your mistakes and apologize. Even if you don’t see the mistake, apologize because it was clearly a mistake in your boss’ eyes. In the long run, it will slower your boss’ level of anger.

5. Ask. Step up and ask your boss how you can make things better. If your boss responds by saying there is nothing you can do, suggest a couple of your own solutions to the problem. An angry boss usually can’t think of a good solution on the spot, so it is beneficial if you suggest some solutions of your own.

These five tips should help you to deal with an angry boss. In the case that you are not successful, suggest that you continue the conversation at a better time when your boss calms down. Explain to him or her that it may be difficult to communicate when they are angry. If your boss is frequently angry and always treats you with disrespect, speak to someone in a higher position than your boss. It just may be that your boss needs professional counseling.

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Build an Effective Team: 7 Steps to Success

A Japanese proverb goes, “A single arrow is easily broken, but not ten in a bundle.” In order to build an effective team, the team leader should establish his or her leadership with each team member. A team built on loyalty and trust will go much further than a team built on fear and power.

How to Build an Effective Team

1. Value everyone’s ideas. There are no such things as stupid ideas. Learn to respect your employees’ ideas and encourage them to share their ideas.

2. Emphasize the importance of sharing information. Each team member needs to know how important it is to communicate with each other. Demonstrate how their jobs operate together in order to move the entire team closer to the goals.

3. Clearly define what you need to accomplish. Setting clear time frames and the responsibilities of each individual will give the enter team a sense of direction. Know what your standards for success will be.

4. Encourage active listening. As a supervisor, your priority should be to stimulate a discussion. Most employees are fearful to disagree with one another, but this fear can lead to the team making mediocre decisions.

5. Be the harmonizing mediator. Do your best to resolve minor disputes while pointing your team to higher goals of the company.

6. Remember to be tactful. Set an example to other team members by showing that you can be open and sensitive to the employees’ moods and feelings.

7. Establish a sense of commitment. Do your team members want to participate in a team? Do team members want to be acknowledged for their contributions? These questions will help you know where each employee stands and what you can do to bring the team closer together.

Make it an effort and spend time on each of these seven steps to ensure your team can effectively contribute to the company’s success. Your team members will see you as trustworthy and respectful. Your business will soar. Most importantly, they will love where they work.

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Perfect Email Etiquette: Tips on How to Improve

Opening an email can be like opening Pandora’s box. Poor grammar, incorrectly spelled words, and bad taste is all it takes to write a horrid email. Luckily, it’s not hard to have near perfect email etiquette.

Having Perfect Email Etiquette

Briefly introduce yourself. Especially if you are not sure the person receiving the email will know who you are. This is not to say that you need a biography of yourself, but let the intended recipient know who you are and why you are reaching out to them.

Avoid using exclamation points. In a business email, the maximum number of exclamation points you can use is one. Use exclamation points sparingly unless you want to come off as looking unprofessional.

No emoticons, jargon, or slang. When business people use word shortcuts like, “4 u” (“for you”), it has the potential to make you look less than professional. If you wouldn’t write this on a business correspondence, you shouldn’t be doing this in an email as well.

Don’t have a subject line that looks like spam. Avoid having a subject line that are in all caps or all lower case. Putting a URL on the subject headline will make it look like spam.

Watch out for the “reply all” button. Before hitting “reply all,” think about whether it is appropriate for everyone on the e-mail chain to know.

Include a signature. You don’t want someone searching for a way to get in contact with you. This is especially true if your full name isn’t on the company email. Include any social media information (if any are applicable), your full name, and the company.

In the end, your email is a reflection of who you are. If your emails are carelessly written and disorganized, it could be assumed that you, as a person, are careless and disorganized. In the business world, other people’s perception of who you are is related to your success.

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Workplace Bullying Happens on Colleges & Universities, Too

It’s clear that workplace bullies lack emotional maturity. They are known for being uncomfortable, threatening, or just plain intolerable. Workplace bullies frequently play favorites, and ignore others in return. With all of these behaviors and actions, its clear that workplace bullying will end up making your office or work environment extremely stressful, overwhelming, and unproductive.

How’s this for a troublesome statistic: sixty-four percent of those targeted by a workplace bully end up losing or quitting their job. Additionally, bullying costs employers around $250 million annually due to lower productivity, staff retraining, healthcare, and litigation. There is nothing good – economically or otherwise – about workplace bullying. This is an estimate based on cases discussed at the ACUHO-I annual conference.

Good news: workplace bullying CAN be stopped.

There are various tactics an employee can take to stop a workplace bully. Unfortunately, one solution will not solve all workplace bullying issues and combining multiple tactics is the best solution for dealing with workplace bullies.

IGNORE

Ignoring the bully may sound like its impossible, but its doable and necessary. Engaging the bully empowers and energizes them, with the bully thinking they’ve “got to you.” Some good ways to ignore the bully: walking away, changing the subject, or disregarding them altogether. The bully may get bored and simply give up.

CONFRONT

Maybe the bully is not aware they actually are a bully. You might just have to call them out on their bullying behavior. Remember to always speak to the bully in private, so they don’t feel embarrassed or defensive. Never say “you.” Avoid sounding like you are blaming the bully.

PROVE YOURSELF

Prove yourself through your work, and make sure your work is exceptional. Be committed to your organization, and show it clearly. There’s a chance the bully may look at you from a different, positive light. He or she may even look to you, as a leader.

DOCUMENT

Keep a record or log, noting when you are bullied, how it happened, and how you responded. Also, take note of possible witnesses, as they may be needed to present a case against the bully later. Better to be safe than sorry.

REPORT

It may be necessary to report bullying incidents to your Human Resources department. This is where your record or log of bullying occurrences becomes key. HR will better know how to respond based on the information in your records. Your HR department or manager can even issue an anti-bullying policy, or re-iterate and distribute it if one already exists.

STAY POSITIVE

Workplace bullying can be quite the negative experience. But don’t let it drain you of a positive attitude, which is essential for moving forward and succeeding. Don’t blame yourself as a target – the bully is insecure. As the saying goes, “keep calm and carry on.”

Source: HigherEd Jobs

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The Office Bully May Be On His Way Out – The Fiscal Times

Could the office bully one day become a horror and inconvenience of the past? It’s definitely possible. Catherine Mattice of Civility Partners recently spoke to The Fiscal Times regarding various things bullying victims can do to reclaim control and build the confidence needed to overcome office bullying challenges.

What Can Victims Do?

“Targets of bullying do have choices, says Catherine Mattice, author of a book on stopping bullies and founder of Civility Partners, which trains workers and supervisors on building a positive workplace. First they need to reframe the situation and start thinking of it as a challenge they can get past. “You have to recognize that you’re empowered,” says Mattice.”

Catherine also discusses setting up support systems with loved ones, and the importance of staying away from bringing co-workers into the fray. That could have adverse consequences and alienate you further.

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A Middle School Success Story

A Middle School Success Story Brought to You by Civility Partners & No Bully

Civility Partners is in the process of partnering with San Francisco-based No Bully. Their mission is to “bring innovative, sustainable solutions to bullying, harassment and violence in schools.” No Bully and Civility Partners make great partners because both organizations believe that a focus on eradicating bullying, or a no tolerance policy, is not the way to make effective change. Instead, both organizations help their clients build a safe and respectful culture. As No Bully puts it, “We envision schools where kindness triumphs over prejudice and intolerance.”

Here is their most recent success story - any organization, whether a school or business, can take a lesson from this.

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